Carrot bread is a sweet and delicious quick bread filled with carrots, spice, and everything nice!
Use up all that fall bounty of garden carrots and bake them into this moist carrot bread. Quick breads are easy to make and freeze beautifully!
We love this recipe for carrot bread! Extra moist, a bit sweet and full of flavor. It’s a great twist on a banana bread recipe or carrot cake!
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS Typical of a basic quick bread, this uses all-purpose flour with baking soda to give it some rise. I add cinnamon and a dash of pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, use extra cinnamon or even apple pie spice.
CARROTS Carrots should be shredded using the coarse side of a cheese grater. They can be peeled or if you scrub them, you can skip peeling them.
VARIATIONS We like to add mix-ins like toasted walnuts. Toss in some coconut, raisins, or even diced apples if you’d like.
How to Make Carrot Bread (overview)
- Combine dry ingredients (per recipe below) and set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients with the shredded carrot.
- Fold dry ingredients to the wet, being careful not to overmix. Fold in any mix-ins and pour into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
PRO TIP: For the walnuts, gently toast them in a sauté pan before using. Toasted nuts stay crunchier and have a more pronounced flavor!
Freezing and Storage
- Like most quick breads, carrot bread will last up to a week as long as it’s at room temperature in a zippered bag or container with a tight-fitting lid.
- Try keeping a slice of regular bread in the container with the carrot bread to absorb extra moisture.
- Freeze carrot bread by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil with the date written on the outside. Frozen carrot bread will last about a month in the freezer.
Kitchen Tips
- Do not overmix the batter, stir just until combined.
- Use parchment paper to line the bottom of the loaf pan to make it easy to remove.
- Ovens can vary slightly, check the bread at least 10 minutes before you think it will be done.
- This bread is easier to slice when completely cooled.
More Quick Breads We Love
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – moist & decadent
- Zucchini Bread – the perfect snack
- Homemade Cornbread Recipe
- Pumpkin Bread – easy to make
- Homemade Gingerbread – soft & moist
- Classic Banana Bread – 5 star recipe
Did your family love this Carrot Bread? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Homemade Carrot Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 ½ cups shredded carrot
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Mix carrots, eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Fold in walnuts and mix just until combined.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Hi. Can you use almond or gluten free flour. Have a granddaughter who is gluten-free and would love to share with her. Would love to hear back.
Hi Deborah, almond flour is very moist and wouldn’t hold together as well in this recipe. But I would definitely recommend an all-purpose gluten-free flour! I make our easy banana bread recipe all the time with all-purpose gluten-free flour and it turns out perfect every time!
I don’t usually rate recipes I download but this one is so good that I had to send a review. I have to say I left out the cinnamon just as a personal preference. However, this bread is top of the line. I made it in my bread maker without any other adjustments. It was incredibly moist and flavorful. This is the second day and there won’t be enough left to freeze. Two of us are eating it all and it should be all gone by the end of the second day. I will make some more tomorrow. YUM
Thank you for shaing Sandy! So happy to hear how much you love this carrot bread!
What setting in the bread maker?
My dumbass being a seasoned baker and all almost forgot the sugar in the carrot bread. after i placed it in the oven, i realized that i had forgotten the sugar and immediately pulled it out the oven and added the sugar and mixed it in.
I hope it turned out delicious still, Yaritsa!
Will this recipe work in a 8×4 aluminum pan?
Hi Michelle, for best results we use a 9×5 pan. I haven’t tried it in an 8×4 so I can’t say for sure but I don’t think it is large enough to hold the volume of batter this recipe makes.
Great bread recipe
I made this bread several times usng regular eggs and love the way it turned out.
Question: Can I sub flax or chia eggs for the regular eggs?
I’ve only tried this as written so I can’t say for sure. Let us know how it works out for you!
We tried this recipe today. We really enjoy it! We’ve been eating a very rich and sweet carrot cake—the Silver Palate recipe, which is my go to—in the past few days, and this quick bread recipe offers a nice contrast by being not too sweet. Thank you!
Bread is moist, not too sweet. Would make again.
Does the baking time change if it’s baked in an 8×8 pan?
We’ve never tried making this carrot bread in cake pans, so can’t say for sure. Let us know if you try it Debbie!
In the oven now. Smells amazing. Didn’t have vanilla extract so I used a teaspoon of fresh orange. Can’t wait to eat it
Ooo fresh orange would smell amazing, Sue!
It was fabulous. Thx for the recipe
For the pumpkin spice, I used an additional 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and nutmeg. I also reduced the sugar to less than a cup. The recipe is so simple and quick to make and the finished product is yum. ☺️ Thanks!
So happy you enjoyed it, Mia! Thanks for sharing your substitutions :)
Made this for my grand babies. My daughter said the recipe is delicious. Moist, flavorful with a good crumb. I did add 1/2 t. cloves and 1/4 t. Nutmeg.
So glad they enjoyed it, Patty! That is wonderful.
Delicious
Very moist and amazing! A family favorite!
So happy to hear that :)
Shud grated carrot be drained off juices
Grated carrot doesn’t produce a lot of juice and it doesn’t need to be drained. Enjoy the carrot bread Susan!
Absolutely delicious. I was lazy, so I used my food processor to grate the carrots. They were finely grated and not course grated. The bread turned out well even with the finer texture. The only thing I did different was that I stirred in the carrots and the nuts at the end of mixing the other ingredients. This bread was not too sweet or heavy on the spices. I will make again in a heartbeat.
Is sugar considered a dry ingredient for this recipe? IT’s not mentioned in the mixing of wet ingredients.. thanks!
Yes Mellany, we add the sugar to the dry ingredients. Enjoy the bread!
Great can’t wait to try some
So good! Loved by all! I have also used my muffin tin and cooked 20 minutes.
I’ve had bread in oven 76 min. Still raw in middle what do I do?
I’d continue baking until a toothpick comes out clean. Is your oven at the correct temperature? Did you use a 9×5 pan? Using a different pan size will affect the baking time.
Not sure why your bread was still raw. Mine took 55 minutes. I let it cool in the pan ten minutes before removing.
Can you make this in the bread machine?
Hi Annie, we have never tried this recipe in a bread machine. Maybe another reader can offer some guidance on that.
Mine is also and I followed the recipe exactly. It smells amazing but the top is starting to turn a not great colour. It’s disappointing.
Hi! Can I sub the cows milk in this recipe with coconut or oat milk ?
While I haven’t tried it Susan, I think that would work. Let us know if you do try it!